The director general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Dr Muneer al-Boursh, has called for urgent international intervention to protect the life and health of Palestinian paediatrician Hussam Abu Safia, who has been detained by Israel since December 2024.
Abu Safia, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained on 27 December 2024 after Israeli forces raided the hospital following an 85-day siege.
According to the report, his lawyer visited him last month and reported new signs of beatings and alleged torture, including injuries affecting his eye, head and chest.
Rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the UN Commission of Inquiry, have expressed serious concerns about his condition.
Abu Safia is being held without charge under Israel’s unlawful combatant law, which allows detention to be repeatedly renewed. Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal seeking his release in June.
Al-Boursh called on the Red Cross, WHO, UN and international medical and human rights organisations to intervene and ensure Abu Safia receives an independent medical examination and appropriate treatment.
Gaza’s healthcare system under severe pressureThe appeal comes amid reports of continued deterioration in Gaza’s healthcare system.
According to the report:Around 20,000 patients are waiting to be evacuated for medical treatment abroad. Crossings remain largely closed.About 250 aid trucks are reportedly entering Gaza daily, compared with a stated requirement of around 600. Nasser Hospital reportedly sees three to four deaths each day linked to shortages of medicines and medical supplies.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported two additional deaths and six injuries in the previous 24 hours. The report also says Israeli military operations and demolitions have continued despite the ceasefire, while large areas of Gaza remain under Israeli control.
UN human rights official Ajith Sunghay described Gaza’s health system as one of the sectors most severely affected and warned that malnutrition, unsafe shelter and lack of clean water are worsening the humanitarian situation.
The report says Gaza’s Health Ministry puts the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s war since October 2023 at more than 73,000, while reporting 1,257 deaths and 4,131 injuries since the latest ceasefire. These figures are presented in the supplied Al Jazeera report and have not been independently verified here.
